Argentina: The one about Arabic cuisine

About two weeks ago, bars and restaurants in the city of Cordoba were allowed to open for dining room service after operating on a take-away-only basis since the middle of March. Protocols such as 50% occupancy, 6-person maximum per table, and physical distance between tables are in place. Upon entering a restaurant everyone receives a handful of hand sanitizer, has their temperature taken, and some places require guests to complete an affidavit claiming healthy status. Last weekend we went out for an afternoon coffee and snack. If all goes well with this trial period of open bars and restaurants, we will be able to enjoy more meals out in the nearish future.  

Argentine cuisine is heavily influenced by its Mediterranean relatives, most notably Italy and Spain. There is also a huge presence of Arabic cuisine throughout the country. Before the pandemic hit, we were in the middle of a quest to find the best Arabic cuisine in the city of Cordoba. With endless establishments to try around town and menu items to satisfy a carnivore and herbivore alike, we had successfully sampled and rated our experiences at five different Arabic restaurants. Staple ingredients in Arabic cuisine include olive oil, lemon, parsley, sesame, and chickpeas. For your reference in following along with the items described later, here are some quick descriptions of our favorite Arabic food items: 

• Keppe - minced lamb meat 
• Hummus - chickpea purée
• Baba ganoush - eggplant purée 
• Falafel - fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas
• Tahini - condiment made from toasted ground sesame

Our favorite Arabic restaurant in the city by far is Al Malek. Though not outrageously priced by U.S. standards, it is the most expensive of all the options we have tried. That being said, the flavorful plates are well worth the extra pesos. We ordered a platter of different dishes which, to our surprise turned out to be enormous. Their hummus and baba ganoush were made with authentic tahini, and that sesame taste really made a winning difference. I ordered a plate of falafel as well and it received a full ten points. We ordered take away from this restaurant one night during our quarantine and the flavors we enjoyed at home were just as we had remembered from our dine-in experience.

Al Malek

We tried another platter at La Zete, which scored higher for the carnivore than the herbivore. It came with eggplant prepared in just about every way imaginable, but the execution and flavor were lacking. Their falafel sandwich, on the other hand, is served with just the right combination of pita bread, hummus, and vegetables. If you have a craving for keppe, this is the place to go as their platter offers keppe prepared three ways: fried, baked, and raw. Their dining room is on the smaller side, so not many can dine-in at the same time. However, they seem to sell a ton more in take away judging by the constant coming and going of delivery people as we dined. 

La Zete

El Wehbe also offers a delicious falafel wrap. This is the smallest of the places we have visited, and we enjoy its hole-in-the-wallness complete with quaint indoor and outdoor seating. They also have non-Arabic options, so this is a good place to go to with those who might prefer pizza and fries. We have not taken advantage of their shawarma catering service, but it does exist.

El Wehbe

Espacio San Miguel has a great dining room and would be an excellent spot to bring a large group of people. The food we tried was lacking in flavor and not our overall favorite, but they did have live Arabic music and dancing. We ordered take away one night during quarantine and were left with the same conclusion: good, but not great. It also appears that I do not have photographic evidence of our San Miguel meals...as if people can eat food without taking pictures of it first nowadays, gasp! 

My first experience with Arabic food in Cordoba was at Emir, and in the many times we have gone back, it has never disappointed. They have an incredible platter with well-executed veggie and meat dishes. They are the experts in knowing how to do eggplant, and they receive my stamp of approval for best baba ganoush in town. The only thing missing on Emir's menu is falafel, but that is easy to get over with all of the other options they offer. This place fills on weekend nights as they frequently have dance shows.

Emir, circa 2016

There are more Arabic restaurants on our list to try, but our quest will remain on hold until we can safely visit them together. Rumor has it that restaurant visits may be limited by ID numbers depending on the results of this trial period (meaning if your ID ends in an odd number you may visit on odd-numbered days and the same for even numbers). Of course my ID is even and Emi's is odd, so should that protocol be enforced we will stick to take away for the time being.